Festus Keyamo Petitions DSS to Arrest and Charge Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed for Incitement and Treasonable Felony

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo SAN, has petitioned the State Security Services (SSS) to demand the arrest and prosecution of the Labour Party’s Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates, Messrs Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed, respectively, for comments he described as incendiary and capable of causing rebellion.

In a petition addressed to the Director General State Services (DGSS) and dated March 23, the minister, who is the Chief Spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), stated that in a post-election period such as this, there is a need to soothe frayed nerves, lower the temperature, and begin the healing process.

According to Festus Keyamo, the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, issued a statement to this effect a few days ago. However, it appears that the President and Vice-Presidential Candidates of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed, are not prepared to toe this conciliatory path for the sake of peace and national cohesion, while exercising their rights to pursue duly laid down constitutional means of addressing their grievances.

Festus Keyamo went on to state that the comments and claims made by Obi and Baba-Ahmed have crossed the line, not just within the boundaries of exercising their rights to freedom of speech and the freedom to air their grievances publicly, but they have since called for the outright truncation of democracy by insisting on the adoption of other processes outside the contemplation of the Constitution.

He further added that in some cases, their privileges have even called for the establishment of an Interim Government. The latest of such comments were made by Datti Baba-Ahmed on behalf of himself and Mr. Peter Obi on Channels TV on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, wherein he threatened that if the President-Elect is sworn in on May 29th, 2023, it would “signal the end of democracy“.

According to him, “These comments and claims are made, not just within the boundaries of exercising their rights to freedom of speech and the freedom to air their grievances publicly, but they have since crossed the line to call for the outright truncation of democracy by insisting on the adoption of other processes outside the contemplation of our Constitution.

“In some cases, their privies have even called for the establishment of an Interim Government.

“The latest of such are the comments made by Datti Baba-Ahmed on behalf of himself and Mr. Peter Obi on Channels TV on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, wherein he threatened that if the President-Elect is sworn in on May 29th, 2023, it would ‘signal the end of democracy’. Posing as an accuser, a judge and a jury all by himself, he unilaterally declared the duly elected President-elect as ‘unconstitutional’ and, in a subliminal manner, threatened mayhem if the President-Elect is sworn in on May 29th, 2023.

“I also have it on good authority that Mr. Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed have camped some youths in a popular hotel in Abuja with the sole aim of instructing them to push out inciting messages everyday on social media in order to cause panic and fear within the federation and to incite people to riot and social unrest.

“It is noteworthy that Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed have submitted Elections Petitions to the courts for adjudication, but their conducts and utterances amount to a subversion of the processes they have instituted in court and a subversion of our Constitution and the laid-down processes for addressing disputes and grievances. These conduct and utterances are a build-up to something more sinister and it is important you rein them in now!

“In this circumstance, I submit this petition in my personal capacity as a patriotic Nigerian to invite/arrest, interrogate and after investigation, if necessary, charge both individuals to court for their conduct which amounts to incitement and treasonable felony”.